Houjicha?

[Rainy-Day]

What's the best way to brew Houjicha? I'm thinking.. close to boiling, 4-5+ minutes, just based on the look.. Please post your best Houjicha tips and tricks!

[Chip]

Can be close to boil, but can be scaled back to taste.

I rarely brew longer than a minute or 2 except for the 3rd or so steep.

[entropyembrace]

I brew it with just below boiling water, 2 heaping teaspoons for my 300ml pot and about 5-6 minutes infusion...that produces a dark, intense very roasty infusion on the intensity level of coffee. Would recommend 2-3 minutes if you like gentler infusions of tea.

[Chip]

... or less if you prefer a more roated nutty nuances. Since I detest coffee, it would be logical that I like the shorter brew time.

[Dreamer]

I brew it pretty much like sencha only it can take a bit warmer water.
It is a favorite for me on a cool (or cold) night! I'd better check my stock!

-Dreamer

[entropyembrace]

Not really a huge fan of coffee...but I drink mostly black tea, 2nd flush Darjeeling and heavy roasted oolongs...and hardly any green tea. So I'm sure that explains our different brewing techniques.

[sriracha]

Wow, 5-6 mins, that's pretty heavy :O

I do 30 secs with roughly your amounts of tea&water, entropyembrace..

Not saying it's wrong or anything, I might try it out =)

[Chip]

Yeah, I brew lighter which is certainly logical.

[Cinnamon Kitty]

I find that houjicha is best with boiling water and not timed. I've done steeps of 30 seconds to many minutes and it still tastes good. Usually, I do a slightly shorter first steep so that there is still enough good stuff in the leaves to get a second steep.

[Rainy-Day]

Wow, really? I'll have to try boiling just to see what happens.

[Salsero]

Wow, really? I'll have to try boiling just to see what happens.

Den's suggests boiling water for it's roasted tea products, as do Hibiki-an and Ippodo. Of course, what's right is whatever pleases you the most.

[tenuki]

Wow, really? I'll have to try boiling just to see what happens.

Den's suggests boiling water for it's roasted tea products, as do Hibiki-an and Ippodo. Of course, what's right is whatever pleases you the most.

Ya, but usually in Japan tradition is there for a reason so I would recommend at least trying it a couple of times with boiling before you blaze your own path.

[Cinnamon Kitty]

Wow, really? I'll have to try boiling just to see what happens.

Den's suggests boiling water for it's roasted tea products, as do Hibiki-an and Ippodo. Of course, what's right is whatever pleases you the most.

I had a bag of Den's Houjicha Gold that suggested boiling water for a 15 or 30 second steep. I may have let it steep slightly longer, but I got very good results following the directions for once.

[TEAcipes]

3 minutes? 5-6 minutes? that sounds potent!

most Houjis, I just dump into a big dobin (teapot) of just-boiled water, swish it around for 30 seconds and serve.
we usually drink it after dinner, so I end up brewing large quantites for guests and families. the more the merrier!

[teaisme]

agree with the idea that you don't need long infusion for the first
I usually do 2 heaping teaspoons 300 ml boiled , 20-40 secs 1st uncovered, 90-120 secs 2nd, and for 3rd I just pour boiling water in, cover and let sit for a long time 20-30 mins on tea warmer
Sometimes I swear that the tea has more flavour when I brew it with a short infusion vs one that's 1-2 mins on the first. Very strange huh? Why is that?